F1 director Joseph Kosinski opened up about Brad Pitt‘s work on the film in a recent interview. He highlighted Pitt’s efforts in maintaining physical fitness as well as his driving ability. In the film, Pitt plays Sonny Hayes, a retired Formula One driver who gets back in the game to mentor Joshua “Noah” Pierce (Damson Idris), a rookie prodigy, for the Apex Grand Prix (APXGP) team.
Director Joseph Kosinski lauds Brad Pitt’s driving ability
Joseph Kosinski explained how Brad Pitt stayed in shape during F1’s filming in a recent interview with India Today.
“You know he obviously takes care of himself,” Kosinski told the outlet. The Top Gun: Maverick director noted that Pitt’s “incredible shape” proved useful to the film, as driving Formula One cars was incredibly demanding physically.
Kosinski noted that someone has to be “an athlete” to drive Formula One cars. He also added that they shot scenes in the cars for “eight or ten hours a day,” describing the experience as “physically demanding.”
Kosinski then highlighted Brad Pitt’s “natural” driving skills, admitting that the actor could not have made the film if he didn’t possess them. He added that Ferrari F1 driver Lewis Hamilton, who also co-produced the film, was “impressed” with Pitt’s “athletic ability.”
Also in the interview, Kosinski compared Pitt to Tom Cruise, noting that they were both “driven” and worked “very hard.”
“They focus on every detail of the filmmaking process,” the director added. “They are both obviously very involved in the script all the way to the final edit.” Kosinski pointed out that Pitt was more “relaxed and chilled out” with the process compared to Cruise, but was nonetheless committed to delivering “the best experience for an audience.”
F1 releases in theaters across the United States on June 27, 2025. Ehren Kruger, who co-wrote the story with Kosinski, developed the screenplay.
Besides Pitt and Idris, the film also stars Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem, Kim Bodnia, Tobias Menzies, and Shea Whigham.
